779_June 21st_Infant Mortality in the US

[Jessica]

Infant mortality in the US dropped to a new all-time last year to below 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births.

That's considered a significant declline from about 5.5 in 2024 and 5.6 per 1,000 live births in the two preceding years, translating to hundreds of fewer infant deaths per year.

The CDC posted the data in late May but Tuesday issued an in-depth analysis.

While the US rate has gone down over the decades, it has remained higher than other high income countires, which experts attribute to poverty, inadequate parental care, and other problems.

I'm Julie Walker.